Iran Launches Long-Range Missiles Emblazoned With Slogan: 'Israel Should Be Wiped Off The Face Of The Earth'

On March 8-9, 2016, as part of their
annual missile drill, which this year is named "Power of the Rule [of the
Jurisprudent]" (Eqtedar-e Velayat), Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
(IRGC) forces launched long-range ballistic missiles, including Qadr-F and
Qadr-H missiles, with ranges of 2,000 and 1,400 kilometers, respectively; Qiam
missiles, launched from underground silos with a range of 800 kilometers, as
well as Shahab-1 and Shahab-2 medium-range missiles. The launch was attended by
IRGC commander Ali Jafari and the head of the IRGC aerospace and missile
division, Amir Ali Hajizadeh.[1] On
the backdrop of the missile launch, IRGC officials also explicitly threatened
Israel, stating that the missiles were meant "to destroy the Zionist
enemy."

Media reports
also indicate that missiles launched on March 9 were emblazoned with the slogan
"Israel should be wiped off the face of the earth" written in Hebrew
and Farsi (see image below).[2]

In a video, Hajizadeh
presented an underground missile silo and said: "These ballistic missiles,
which possess pinpoint accuracy, are deep underground. When needed, they are fueled
and activated and then moved to underground silos for launch." According to him, the IRGC's underground
missile launch silos are the main complimentary element to the IRGC's "missile
cities."[3]

IRGC Commander Ali Jafari said on
March 8 that "holding this drill and launching ballistic missiles from
different points in Iran are a decisive response to the boastfulness of [our]
enemies regarding levelling sanctions [on Iran] due to the missiles. This
missile launch displays only a portion of the capabilities of the IRGC's
underground launch silos, which have been expanded throughout Iran.

"The
Eqtedar-e Velayat drill will make our enemies realize that the robustness of
our defense and national security are red lines, and we are totally unwilling
to negotiate about them. The regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran considers
security in the face of hostility to be the most important issue and a top
priority... Nearly 100% of our production is domestic, and we do not
rely on foreigners. We grew under sanctions and have become independent
[despite them].

"Iran's officials
consider the IRGC's missile capabilities to be a red line and are of one mind
on this issue. Our enemies, too, have understood that increasing the sanctions
and the security pressure has no impact on the growth of our capabilities. That
is why they are levelling economic sanctions, in order to limit our missile
capabilities.

"The
Eqtedar-e Velayat drill sends a message of security to Iran and neighboring
countries in the region. Iran's security is the security of the countries of
the region, and all our efforts are meant to maintain our national security.

"While
confronting the enemies, the IRGC's finger is always on the trigger. The
enemies of the Islamic Revolution should fear the roar of the IRGC's missiles.

"The main
threat against Iran comes from the Zionists. Those most hostile towards Iran should
naturally fear this readiness and these capabilities the most. Our missiles
cover the [entire territory of the] occupying Zionist regime, therefore they fear [us] the most."[4]

IRGC Deputy
Commander: The Zionist Regime Will Collapse In The Near Future; Hizbullah Has
100,000 Missiles And Iran Has Tens Of Times That Amount

IRGC Deputy Commander Hossein
Salami said at a press conference held after the March 9 missile launch:
"If the enemy wishes to realize its ill intent towards Iran, it must know
that our missiles are ready to launch and ready to strike it. These missiles
are the product of the sanctions, and the more the sanctions increase, the more
our development [of them] will increase as well.

"The
Zionist regime will collapse in the near future. Hizbullah has stockpiled over
100,000 missiles, while Iran has a variety of missiles [and a stockpile] tens
of times greater than Hizbullah's, and this power will not be stopped. We
stockpile many ballistic missiles with varying ranges, which can hit enemy
targets at any moment from different locations in Iran.

"Yesterday
we launched missiles from underground silos and today we launched them from the
heart of Iran. The purpose of this drill is to demonstrate our desire for
defense and deterrence. Our storage capabilities are smaller than our
production capabilities. We are relaying all of our experience and all of our operational,
scientific, tactical and strategic achievements to our brothers in the Islamic
world and in the front of resistance to America, Israel and their regional
allies."[5]

IRGC Aerospace And Missile Division
Commander: These Missiles Are Iranian But Belong To The Palestinian, Lebanese,
Syrian, And Iraqi Peoples... Their 2,000-Kilometer Range Is Intended To
Confront The Distant Zionist Regime

IRGC Aerospace and Missile
Division Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh said after the missile launch on March 9,
2016: "These capabilities are the product of the enemy's sanctions, and
the more its sanctions increase, the more our response, progress, and
capabilities will increase as well. After the JCPOA, the enemies are targeting
the Iranian nation's security. Sanctions [due to missile activity] compromise
Iran's security, but the IRGC is protecting it...

"These
missiles are totally Iranian but [also] belong to the Palestinian, Lebanese,
Syrian, and Iraqi peoples, and to all of the world's oppressed peoples. We do
not wish to expand the state's borders, but rather to assist the oppressed
against evil. Anyone who wishes to tyrannize the oppressed Muslim nations must
know that these missiles will threaten it. We do not use these missiles against
terrorist groups, even though this is possible.

"Israel
is currently surrounded by Islamic states and its life expectancy is short. In
a war, it will collapse before these missiles are [even] launched.

"We
believe in America's hostility and attribute importance to it. We will not
start a war, but neither will we be caught by surprise. Therefore, we have located
our tools [of war] in a place that cannot be destroyed according to the enemy's
whims, and [therefore] we can wage a prolonged war.

"For us,
Israel's evil is totally clear, and the 2,000-kilometer range of our missiles
[is intended] to confront the distant Zionist regime. We are expanding our
tunnels and silos, and will respond harshly to enemy folly."[6]

Hajizadeh: Even An Atomic Bomb Cannot
Destroy Our Tunnels; Some Of Our Missiles Are Ready For Launch; We Can
Instantly Launch Hundreds Of Missiles At Designated Targets

Hajizadeh told the Tasnim News
Agency that, "in many cases, the IRGC has helped the government with large
scale projects of tunnel construction. For 31 years, we have been working day
and night to construct tunnels. We have also constructed missile storage
facilities, silos and other underground facilities...

"We must
be strong so that we can defend the Iranian nation. We must not allow foreign
elements to easily create problems for our people. Now Iran is safe and secure.
The security of the people is a red line for us, and on this matter we do not observe
agreements with anyone, and the IRGC is not remiss in this.

"The
people will accept poverty, but no one will agree to jeopardize our security.
Therefore, the Majlis and government must help us to strengthen our defensive
and missile capabilities in the coming years...

"We have
extensive experience in constructing tunnels and we are certain that even if an
atomic bomb hits them, they will not be destroyed. We dug these tunnels under
mountains and they have high security ratings.

"A large
number of our units are on call 24 hours a day and do not know the meaning of
vacation. Some of our missiles are upright and ready for launch... Officers
have authorization [to attack], and immediately following an attack they can
respond [by] instantly launching hundreds of missiles at designated targets.

"It is a
complete mistake to think that America can supervise our missile cities. Some
attribute importance to America, but America is not that powerful. Perhaps some
of our tunnels can be identified, but they certainly cannot be destroyed.

"For us,
America is nothing, since we are highly capable and it cannot fight us. [The
Americans] are so weak that in 2009, when they wished to leave Iraq, they were concerned
about leaving without getting harmed. They sent an Iraqi official from the
American embassy [in Iraq] and asked the IRGC for help so their troops could
withdraw with dignity. When that representative returned to Iraq, the American
ambassador waited for him at Baghdad Airport to see what Iran had said...

"We have
acquired the ability to produce missiles with complex mechanisms... Even if
they surround all of Iran with walls, our missile production will not stop. We
have no need for [the help of] any country."[7]

In a dig at
President Rohani, who visited France and posed for a photo in front of French
planes, Hajizadeh said: "Some took souvenir pictures with the French
Airbus, but we take pictures with our local Iranian products, which are our
source of pride and honor."[8]

Hajizadeh
and Salami with Iranian reporters with a missile in the background

Advisor To Khamenei's Representative In
The IRGC: 'America's Dreams Of Limiting Iran's Missile Strength Will Never Come
True... Iran Has Missile Cities, Underground Silos, And Thousands Of Missiles'

Yadollah Javani, an advisor to
Khamenei's representative in the IRGC, said on March 9, 2016: "This drill demonstrates
the deterrence and multifaceted defensive capabilities of the armed forces,
particularly of the IRGC, who can confront any kind of external military threat
to the Islamic Revolution...

"Military
experts rank Iran fourth in the world in terms of missile strength... After
America, Russia and China, Iran is the fourth country to possess underground
ballistic missile launch facilities...

"Launching
IRGC ballistic missiles from underground silos sends a clear message to the
enemies of the Iranian nation. The roar of the IRGC's ballistic missiles is a
decisive response by the Iranian nation to the missile sanctions against it. If
some enemies thought that the JCPOA and missile sanctions could limit Iran's
defensive strength, this drill has shown that these thoughts are starkly at
odds with reality... The message is clear: America's dreams of limiting
[Iran's] defensive might, particularly its missile strength, will never come
true, but as time goes by, Iran's missiles increase in quantity, range,
accuracy and effectiveness... The Iranian nation is determined to preserve its
deterrent force, and add to its reliability every day.

"Presenting
the missile cities and expanding them to a depth of 500 meters underground in
many points in Iran, as well as constructing missile silos and storing
thousands of missiles with varying capabilities in these cities, indicate that [these
cities] house thousands of professional experts who possess a jihadi spirit and
Basij thinking. These forces are prepared to respond to any invader. This
prominently strengthens Iran's defensive and deterrent power.

"The enemies'
fear of the roar of the IRGC's missiles is evident from their efforts to level
missile sanctions in order to limit Iran's defensive programs. The enemies must
know that there is a fundamental difference between Iran's peaceful nuclear
program and Iran's defensive missile program. The most important difference is
that the nuclear program is open to discussion, while the missile program and
Iran's other defensive military measures are not. No nation can agree to
negotiate and agree with its enemies on its own defensive measures. The message
sent by the Eqtedar-e Velayat drill stresses this matter to all enemies."[9]

APPENDIX: Images From Ballistic Missile
Launch

Below are images from the launch
of a long-range Qadr-H missile, with a range of 1,400 kilometers. The missile
was launched from the Alborz Mountains in eastern Iran to the coast of Makran
in southern Iran near the Gulf of Oman. The missile weighs 17 tons, is 16
meters long and 1.25 meters in diameter, and carries a detachable 650 kilogram
warhead.[x]